“Hardly 48 hours ago … I once again explicitly offered the United States to send a medical force with the necessary means to offer emergency assistance to the tens of thousands of Americans trapped in the flooded areas and the ruins Katrina left behind after lashing Louisiana and other southern states.”
Dr. Fidel Castro Ruz, President of the Republic of Cuba, September 4, 2005
http://www.granma.cubaweb.cu/english/speeches/art11.html
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Fidel Castro offered to send doctors to New Orleans and the Gulf Coast to help the people who were impacted by the hurricane. He went on to say,
“Cuba would be completely powerless to help the crew of a spaceship or a nuclear submarine in distress, but it could offer the victims of hurricane Katrina, facing imminent death, substantial and crucial assistance.”
Fidel Castro spoke for his country and offered help from his nation. The offer of help was rejected by the U.S. government. Had it been up to the people of New Orleans, I suspect they would have welcomed this support.
Three years later, Cuba has suffered extensive damage from hurricanes Gustav and Ike. The island needs help. The United States government has offered $100,000 and team of experts to assess the damage. The Cuban government has rejected this offer. Americans want to reach into their own pockets to send money and provide aide to Cuba. Treasury Department restrictions prevent US citizens from transferring U.S. dollars to Cuba or for family members to visit relatives on the island.
During the recent Presidential Forum on volunteerism, both candidates Barak Obama and John McCain extolled the virtues of private giving and volunteerism. Private citizens reaching into their pockets or volunteering to help people in need has been a hallmark of the Bush Administration’s compassionate conservative policy. Yet, American citizens cannot offer help to the Cuban people because of U.S. governmental regulations.
The United States Congress needs to act immediately to end these Treasury Department restrictions on giving money and providing support to the people of Cuba so that Americans can offer help where help is needed.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Too Much Information is Not Such a Good Thing
Ever since the Sarah Palin announcement, last week, I have had to accept the fact that I do love soap operas, even though I never watch them. Instead of watching, I prefer soap opera living even if it is a vicarious experience. Thanks to the Sarah Palin story my emotions have been totally jagged, one moment I’m greedy for information, the next I’m furious, and I have to admit for a few moments I’ve actually been a bit in awe of the Republican’s vice presidential candidate. If Nancy Pelosi, who is supposed to be an iron woman, had shot from the hip the way this Alaskan gun slinger does, I suspect she would be President now running to be elected in her own right.
My first question, when this beauty arrived on the scene was who is raising the baby? The fact that she has a four month old baby and is running for Vice President seems a little odd to me. But as is always s the case with Sarah Palin, there was more to the story. She made sure that we all knew that this is a special needs baby and because she is such a moral upstanding pro-live woman she made the choice to carry it to term. She proudly proclaimed that she was back at work three days after the baby was born. I do not understand any mother who has a baby and proudly leaves it in the care of others within days to go back to a job. I don’t care whether the baby is perfect or has special needs, as far as I’m concerned all newborn babies deserve to have the full attention of their mothers. The way you know they are ready to set their mothers free is they get up on their own two feet and walk away.
My opinions on child rearing were what made my relationship with Sarah Palin so complicated. All of her women compatriots from the Republican Convention came out like gang busters to deal with this motherhood issue. “You wouldn’t expect this about a man,” they hissed. I was intrigued that these good Republican women who go on about family values don’t seem to care what you do with the kid as long as you let it be born. Once the baby is born; it is on its own.
Of course Sarah didn’t disappoint for no sooner than the handlers let us know that she is a gun totting, pro-lifer, energy expert, who is the Commander in Chief of the Alaska National Guard, Sarah let us in on a family secret. Her seventeen year old, unmarried daughter is five months pregnant. But it is fine, we were assured, because the daughter is going to marry the father of the baby and she has the support of her family. All it means is she is going to have to grow up a little faster. And by the way the campaign made this announcement to dispel those nasty liberal rumors that the four month old baby is not mom’s, it is the daughter’s.
No wonder I became a voyeur in this soap opera. With a set up like this, you’d have to be crazy not to follow up on every juicy detail. So for the past week, I have been checking the internet constantly for more gossip.
I went to the nasty liberal blogs that ran the story about the pregnancy cover-up and was not totally convinced, though I find it incredible that a woman could wait until she was seven months pregnant to let everybody around her know the “obvious” which wasn’t so obvious.
I have been following trooper gate, Alaskan ear marks, and the bridge to nowhere turnabouts. I googled the star spangle banner photo shopped bikini photo and looked at pictures of the “f---ing redneck”, teenagers with guns, and the Wolfowitz hair stylist. I haven’t been able to find hubby’s work schedule on the Northern Ridge, child care arrangements, or a private plane, but I suspect they’ll come out before too long.
In the evenings I tune into the Republican convention in small doses. To the women who wear the “I support unwed mothers” buttons, I yell, what about the pregnant teens in our cities who need your support? I fume at the constant prattle about how serving as mayor of a small town and governor in a small state is all the preparation that you need to be Vice President. After all she is the only one running with management experience. I think that whoever came up with the explanation for Sarah Palin’s vast foreign policy experience should be commended. She’s a foreign policy ace because Alaska is next Russia.
It is during the evenings that I get angry at Sarah Palin and her story. I do not appreciate the implications that her people make about Americans and their families. They say that people will relate to and love Sarah Palin because she has problems that we all have. I’d like to remind the Republicans that the problems that most Americans are facing involve job insecurity, health care, the rising costs of food, shelter, and fuel, and paying for a war that they don’t support.
I hope to get my life back soon. With luck the Sarah Palin’s story will fade and I can leave this soap opera for my own boring life which isn’t as dysfunctional as the Republicans claim it is.
My first question, when this beauty arrived on the scene was who is raising the baby? The fact that she has a four month old baby and is running for Vice President seems a little odd to me. But as is always s the case with Sarah Palin, there was more to the story. She made sure that we all knew that this is a special needs baby and because she is such a moral upstanding pro-live woman she made the choice to carry it to term. She proudly proclaimed that she was back at work three days after the baby was born. I do not understand any mother who has a baby and proudly leaves it in the care of others within days to go back to a job. I don’t care whether the baby is perfect or has special needs, as far as I’m concerned all newborn babies deserve to have the full attention of their mothers. The way you know they are ready to set their mothers free is they get up on their own two feet and walk away.
My opinions on child rearing were what made my relationship with Sarah Palin so complicated. All of her women compatriots from the Republican Convention came out like gang busters to deal with this motherhood issue. “You wouldn’t expect this about a man,” they hissed. I was intrigued that these good Republican women who go on about family values don’t seem to care what you do with the kid as long as you let it be born. Once the baby is born; it is on its own.
Of course Sarah didn’t disappoint for no sooner than the handlers let us know that she is a gun totting, pro-lifer, energy expert, who is the Commander in Chief of the Alaska National Guard, Sarah let us in on a family secret. Her seventeen year old, unmarried daughter is five months pregnant. But it is fine, we were assured, because the daughter is going to marry the father of the baby and she has the support of her family. All it means is she is going to have to grow up a little faster. And by the way the campaign made this announcement to dispel those nasty liberal rumors that the four month old baby is not mom’s, it is the daughter’s.
No wonder I became a voyeur in this soap opera. With a set up like this, you’d have to be crazy not to follow up on every juicy detail. So for the past week, I have been checking the internet constantly for more gossip.
I went to the nasty liberal blogs that ran the story about the pregnancy cover-up and was not totally convinced, though I find it incredible that a woman could wait until she was seven months pregnant to let everybody around her know the “obvious” which wasn’t so obvious.
I have been following trooper gate, Alaskan ear marks, and the bridge to nowhere turnabouts. I googled the star spangle banner photo shopped bikini photo and looked at pictures of the “f---ing redneck”, teenagers with guns, and the Wolfowitz hair stylist. I haven’t been able to find hubby’s work schedule on the Northern Ridge, child care arrangements, or a private plane, but I suspect they’ll come out before too long.
In the evenings I tune into the Republican convention in small doses. To the women who wear the “I support unwed mothers” buttons, I yell, what about the pregnant teens in our cities who need your support? I fume at the constant prattle about how serving as mayor of a small town and governor in a small state is all the preparation that you need to be Vice President. After all she is the only one running with management experience. I think that whoever came up with the explanation for Sarah Palin’s vast foreign policy experience should be commended. She’s a foreign policy ace because Alaska is next Russia.
It is during the evenings that I get angry at Sarah Palin and her story. I do not appreciate the implications that her people make about Americans and their families. They say that people will relate to and love Sarah Palin because she has problems that we all have. I’d like to remind the Republicans that the problems that most Americans are facing involve job insecurity, health care, the rising costs of food, shelter, and fuel, and paying for a war that they don’t support.
I hope to get my life back soon. With luck the Sarah Palin’s story will fade and I can leave this soap opera for my own boring life which isn’t as dysfunctional as the Republicans claim it is.
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